The submissive pattern of postconflict affiliation in asymmetric relationships: a test in male and sexually coerced female baboons

Reconciliation, or postconflict (PC) affiliation between former opponents, is a widespread conflict management strategy in animal societies, so-named for its relationship repair function. However, another possibility is that PC affiliation reflects a submissive response of victims towards aggressors to limit conflict escalation when the power imbalance between the opponents is large. Here we investigated this hypothesis in a highly asymmetric relationship context: heterosexual wild chacma baboon, Papio ursinus, dyads involving sexually receptive females, where sexual coercion by males is common. We found several lines of support for the submissive hypothesis in the context of sexual coercion. First, rates of sexual and nonsexual PC affiliative interactions in these dyads exhibited significant and comparable increases compared to baseline conditions (ca. three-fold). Second, the baseline strength of the heterosexual social bond (outside of an aggressive context) did not predict the likelihood of sexual and nonsexual PC affiliation. Third, mate-guarded females, who could not escape the proximity of their aggressor (and faced high risks of renewed aggression), exhibited the most PC affiliation with males. Finally, most PC affiliation sequences contained at least one sexual act, and the first sexual affiliative act was primarily initiated by females via presenting. This suggests that female victims affiliate in a submissive way by displaying sexual compliance to aggressive males. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude the co-occurrence of ‘true’ reconciliation: a quarter of PC affiliations between males and receptive females were exclusively nonsexual, and the first general affiliative act was equally initiated by males and females. Overall, our results suggest a mixed PC affiliation strategy in which submission may play an important role in highly asymmetric relationships and indicate that the function of PC affiliation may vary from submission to reconciliation depending on the species, dyads, individuals and conflicts under consideration. Future research on PC interactions would usefully consider this full spectrum

Service-learning as a strategy for social formation of students and CCT beneficiaries through financial literacy

School year 2013-14 marked the start of a partnership between the Office for Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI) and the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM). Both visualize an enhanced formation program for the students through service-learning. Service-learning happens when students are in their second year. It is at this time when RA 91631 is offered and JGSOM students start learning financial concepts in their management subjects. Social formation and academic learning becomes a single entity through financial literacy2. Financial concepts were taught to 1,364 identified conditional cash transfer (CCT) beneficiaries, a government program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the poorest of the poor. JGSOM is the only academic partner of DSWD that facilitates financial literacy. CCT beneficiaries attended seven finlit sessions that included budgeting, savings and debt management. Certificates of completion were awarded to those who attended a minimum of 5 sessions This study highlights the feedback from stakeholders for the initial implementation of finlit. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through a survey from the student facilitators, an FGD with randomly selected beneficiaries, and feedback from OSCI and JGSOM. After a year, it was recommended that students undergo the finlit sessions first before teaching their learned financial concepts. With language as a concern, training on conversational Filipino was seen as important in preparing the student facilitators

Developmental transitions in body color in chacma baboon infants: Implications to estimate age and developmental pace

OBJECTIVES: In many primates, one of the most noticeable morphological developmental traits is the transition from natal fur and skin color to adult coloration. Studying the chronology and average age at such color transitions can be an easy and noninvasive method to (a) estimate the age of infants whose dates of birth were not observed, and (b) detect interindividual differences in the pace of development for infants with known birth dates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a combination of photographs and field observations from 73 infant chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) of known ages, we (a) scored the skin color of six different body parts from pink to gray, as well as the color of the fur from black to gray; (b) validated our method of age estimation using photographic and field observations on an independent subset of 22 infants with known date of birth; and (c) investigated ecological, social, and individual determinants of age-related variation in skin and fur color. RESULTS: Our results show that transitions in skin color can be used to age infant chacma baboons less than 7 months old with accuracy (median number of days between actual and estimated age = 10, range = 0-86). We also reveal that food availability during the mother's pregnancy, but not during lactation, affects infant color-for-age and therefore acts as a predictor of developmental pace. DISCUSSION: This study highlights the potential of monitoring within- and between-infant variation in color to estimate age when age is unknown, and developmental pace when age is known

Characterisation of Rosa Mosqueta seeds : cell wall polysaccharide composition and light microscopy observations

The utilisation of enzymes for the extraction of vegetable oils from seeds has been a topic of growing interest in recent years. Knowledge of the cell wall polysaccharide composition is important to select the enzyme(s) necessary for the most effective degradation of the cell walls. The purpose of the present work is to characterise the seeds of Rosa Mosqueta (Rosa aff rubiginosa) by light microscopy (where several differential staining methods were applied to analyse the seed structure) and by the isolation of cell wall polysaccharide extracts. The mature seed of Rosa Mosqueta has a very thick and structurally complex seed coat comprising heavily lignified tissue. The embryo has two cell layers of remaining endosperm tissue (indicating that this is an exalbuminous seed), two voluminous cotyledons that contain the oil, and bundles of provascular tissues distributed perpendicularly to the transverse axis of the embryo. The major non-cellulosic polysaccharides from the non-lignified tissues are glucuronoxylans and pectic polysaccharides; glucans are also present in small amounts. The major non-cellulosic polysaccharides from the lignified tissues are glucuronoxylans. Concerning the use of enzymes for oil extraction, microscopy and cell wall polysaccharide analysis showed that the use of pectic enzymes followed by a xylanase or a cellulase should be explored.União Europeia (UE) - Contract INCO-DC: 96-2205

The rate of the founder Jewish mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in prostate cancer patients in Israel

Inherited predisposition occurs in 5–10% of all prostate cancer (CaP) patients, but the genes involved in conferring genetic susceptibility remain largely unknown. Several lines of evidence indicate that germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 might be associated with an increased risk for CaP. Three mutations in these two genes (185delAG and 5382InsC (BRCA1) and 6174delT (BRCA2) occur in about 2.5% of the general Ashkenazi population, and the 185delAG BRCA1 mutation, in up to 1% of non-Ashkenazi Jews. In order to assess the contribution of these germline mutations to prostate cancer in Jewish Israeli patients, we tested 174 unselected prostate cancer patients (95 of Ashkenazi origin) for these mutations by PCR amplification and modified restriction enzyme digests. Patient’s age range was 45–81 years (median 66), and in 24 (14.4%) the disease was diagnosed prior to 55 years of age. Nineteen (11%) and 12 (6.9%) patients had a first or second degree relative with CaP or breast cancer, respectively. Overall, five mutation carriers were detected: 2/152 (1.3%) 185delAG, 2/104 (2%) 5382InsC, and 1/158 (0.6%) 6174delT. In all carriers, the disease was diagnosed after the age of 55, and only one of them had a family history of breast and CaP. In addition, no allelic losses at the BRCA1 locus were demonstrated in 17 patients with a family history of CaP, using seven microsatellite markers. We conclude that the rate of the predominant Jewish BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in CaP patients does not significantly differ from that of the general population, and that mutational inactivation of the BRCA1 is rare in familial CaP. Thus, germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations probably contribute little to CaP occurrence, to inherited predisposition, and to early onset disease in Jewish individuals. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Cervical mature teratoma 17 years after initial treatment of testicular teratocarcinoma: report of a late relapse

BACKGROUND: Late relapses of testicular germ cell tumor are uncommon. We report a case of cervical mature teratoma appeared 17 years after treatment of testicular teratocarcinoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 20- year- old patient underwent left sided orchiectomy followed by systemic therapy and retroperitoneal residual mass resection in 1989. He remained in complete remission for 200 months. In 2005 a huge left supraclavicular neck mass with extension to anterior mediastinum appeared. Radical surgical resection of the mass was performed and pathologic examination revealed mature teratoma. CONCLUSION: This is one of the longest long-term reported intervals of a mature teratoma after treatment of a testicular nonseminoma germ cell tumor. This case emphasizes the necessity for follow up of testicular cancer throughout the patient's life

Developmental transitions in body color in chacma baboon infants: Implications to estimate age and developmental pace

International audienc

Association of patients' sex with treatment outcomes after intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin immunotherapy for T1G3/HG bladder cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the association of patients' sex with recurrence and disease progression in patients treated with intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for T1G3/HG urinary bladder cancer (UBC). Materials and methods: We analyzed the data of 2635 patients treated with adjuvant intravesical BCG for T1 UBC between 1984 and 2019. We accounted for missing data using multiple imputations and adjusted for covariate imbalance between males and females using inverse probability weighting (IPW). Crude and IPW-adjusted Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of patients' sex with HG-recurrence and disease progression. Results: A total of 2170 (82%) males and 465 (18%) females were available for analysis. Overall, 1090 (50%) males and 244 (52%) females experienced recurrence, and 391 (18%) males and 104 (22%) females experienced disease progression. On IPW-adjusted Cox regression analyses, female sex was associated with disease progression (HR 1.25, 95%CI 1.01-1.56, p = 0.04) but not with recurrence (HR 1.06, 95%CI 0.92-1.22, p = 0.41). A total of 1056 patients were treated with adequate BCG. In these patients, on IPW-adjusted Cox regression analyses, patients' sex was not associated with recurrence (HR 0.99, 95%CI 0.80-1.24, p = 0.96), HG-recurrence (HR 1.00, 95%CI 0.78-1.29, p = 0.99) or disease progression (HR 1.12, 95%CI 0.78-1.60, p = 0.55). Conclusion: Our analysis generates the hypothesis of a differential response to BCG between males and females if not adequately treated. Further studies should focus on sex-based differences in innate and adaptive immune system and their association with BCG response

RISK FACTORS FOR RESIDUAL DISEASE AT RE-TUR IN T1G3 BLADDER CANCER

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Goals of transurethral resection of a bladder tumour (TUR) are to completely resect the lesions and to make a correct diagnosis in order to adequately stage the patient. It is well known that the presence of detrusor muscle in the specimen is a prerequisite to minimize the risk of under staging. Persistent disease after resection of bladder tumours is not uncommon and is the reason why the European Guidelines recommended a reTUR for all T1 tumours. It was recently published that when there is muscle in the specimen, re-TUR does not influence progression or cancer specific survival. We present here the patient and tumour factors that may influence the presence of residual disease at re-TUR. METHODS: In our retrospective cohort of 2451 primary T1G3 patients initially treated with BCG, pathology results for 934 patients (38.1%) who underwent re-TUR are available. 75.4% had multifocal tumours, 42.7% of tumours were more than 3 cm in diameter and 25.8% had concomitant CIS. We analyse this subgroup of patients who underwent re-TUR: there was no residual disease in 267 patients (28.6%) and residual disease in 667 patients (71.4%): Ta in 378 (40.5%) and T1 in 289 (30.9%) patients. Age, gender, tumour status (primary/recurrent), previous intravesical therapy, tumour size, tumour multi-focality, presence of concomitant CIS, and muscle in the specimen were analysed in order to evaluate risk factors of residual disease at re-TUR, both in univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: The following were not risk factors for residual disease: age, gender, tumour status and previous intravesical chemotherapy. The following were univariate risk factors for presence of residual disease: no muscle in TUR, multiple tumours, tumours > 3 cm, and presence of concomitant CISDue to the correlation between tumor multi-focality and tumor size, the multivariate model retained either the number of tumors or the tumor diameter (but not both), p < 0.001. The presence of muscle in the specimen was no longer significant, p ¼ 0.15, while the presence of CIS only remained significant in the model with tumor size, p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant factors for a higher risk of residual disease at re-TUR in T1G3 patients are multifocal tumours and tumours more than 3 cm. Patients with concomitant CIS and those without muscle in the specimen also have a higher risk of residual disease

Laparoscopic resection of a residual retroperitoneal tumor mass of nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors

Resection of a residual retroperitoneal tumor mass (RRRTM) is standard procedure after combination chemotherapy for metastatic nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors (NSTGCT). At the University Medical Center Groningen, 79 consecutive patients with disseminated NSTGCT were treated with cisplatin combination chemotherapy between 2005 and 2007. Laparoscopic RRRTM was performed for patients with RRTM located less than 5 cm ventrally or laterally from the aorta or the vena cava. The 29 patients who fulfilled the criteria had a median age of 25 years (range, 16-59 years). The stages of disease before chemotherapy treatment according to the Royal Marsden classification were 2A (n = 6, 21%), 2B (n = 14, 48%), 2C (n = 3, 10%), and 4 with a lymph node status of N2 (n = 6, 21%). The median duration of laparoscopy was 198 min (range, 122-325 min). The median diameter of the RRTM was 21 mm (range, 11-47 mm). Laparoscopic resection was successful for 25 patients (86%). Conversion was necessary for three patients (10%): two due to bleeding and one because of obesity. One nonplanned hand-assisted procedure (3%) also had to be performed. Histologic examination of the specimens showed fibrosis or necrosis in 12 patients (41%), mature teratoma in 16 patients (55%), and viable tumor in 1 patient (3%). The median hospital stay was 1 day (range, 1-6 days). During a median follow-up period of 47 months (29-70 months), one patient experienced an early relapse (1 month after the end of treatment) (4%). For properly selected patients, laparoscopic resection of RRTM is an improvement in the combined treatment of disseminated NSTGCT and associated with a short hospital stay, minimal morbidity, rapid recovery, and a neat cosmetic result. Long-term data to prove oncologic efficacy are awaited